Wormwood

Started by wilder, December 04, 2017, 02:00:58 PM

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wilder



Directed by boundary-breaking filmmaker Errol Morris, Wormwood explores the limits of knowledge about the past and the lengths we'll go in our search for the truth. A twisting, evolving story of one man's sixty-year quest to identify the circumstances of his father's mysterious death. Combining a virtuosic performance by Peter Sarsgaard with Morris' legendary interview style, Wormwood examines this case from every possible angle, bringing the viewer face-to-face with some of the United States' darkest secrets. Wormwood sets a new standard for nonfiction filmmaking and finds Morris working on his grandest canvas yet.

Quote from: Errol Morris' Director's statementIsn't journalism the pursuit of truth? But what if the truth proves to be elusive, hard to get at? How far does one go? Where does one stop? Are there limits, emotional and otherwise, to the pursuit of truth? Can it be injurious to one's health? Here we have the story of one man's sixty year quest to identify the circumstances of his father's death. Did he jump from a hotel window? Or was he pushed? And if he was pushed, why? What for? A shadowy world of hidden and imagined intentions coupled with dark and horrifying revelations. In many ways, a personal family story, but in many other ways, a story of America's decline in the period following World War II. It asks the question: To what extent can a democracy lie to its citizens and still, in the end, remain a democracy?

Directed by Errol Morris
Starring Peter Sarsgaard, Christian Camargo, Scott Shepherd, Molly Parker, Jimmi Simpson, Bob Balaban, Tim Blake Nelson, John Doman, Hillary Gardner, Michael Chernus, Jack O'Connell, and Chance Kelly
Release Date - December 15, 2017 on Netflix

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wilberfan

I like Errol Morris, but found this too long by half, needlessly repetitive, and somewhat over-stylish and overwrought.

samsong

loved this and personally found the length and morris's formalist indulgences to be warranted and, well, great.  will be watching this again soon.

wilder

Really enjoyed this, too. The doc is thrilling but also unconventionally hilarious in the way that from the truth's standpoint, these massive institutions are no match for this guy's absolutely dogged use of common sense and grounded demeanor. He's the Harvard graduate equivalent of a child asking "Why?", "How come?", "How does that work?" for 50 fuckin straight years. The dramatic recreations are also pretty great and tone-worthy, especially the scenes involving Molly Parker, who for my money elevates everything she appears in.

©brad

Is there any new evidence or discoveries presented? I'm excited to watch this and trust you guys, however I'm getting tired of bloated, cockteasing true crime dramas/podcasts with no new answers or real payoff.

wilder

I would say watch the first 2 or 3 episodes and if you're not spellbound by then it probably isn't a ride you want to take in full. While there are certainly evolutions in the story that make it far wider in scope than is initially apparent, and things come out of the woodwork revealing events you initially think are the subject matter are actually diversions from a much larger scheme, a lot of the details are simply impossible to resolutely confirm, and it ultimately results in very strongly put speculation. The journey is as much about the son sacrificing his life for the sake of finding out the truth of his father's death, and weighing the value of the cost of that sacrifice, as it is about the CIA, which is an idea that starts being sewn early on. So if you're not compelled by him/that after the first hour or hour and a half (it's four, total) I guess it's probably a good idea to bail.

lorenscope